13 January 2016

Pakistan
on Wednesday announced the arrest of "several individuals" from an
outlawed Islamic militant group believed to be linked to a four-day
assault on an Indian air base earlier this month that killed seven
Indian soldiers.

The government announced the arrests in a statement after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif presided over a meeting to discuss security issues. The meeting was also attended byPakistan's army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif, the country's intelligence chief and other security officials.

A branch of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for an attack Wednesday on Pakistan's Consulate in eastern Afghanistan that killed at least seven members of the Afghan security forces.

The attack in Jalalabad, the capital of the volatile Nangarhar province that bordersPakistan, started when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives vest outside the diplomatic mission, said Attaullah Khyogani, spokesman for the province's governor.

The
world's biggest oil companies are slashing jobs and backing off major
investments as the price of crude falls to new lows — and there may be
more pain to come.

Companies like BP, which said Tuesday it is cutting 4,000 jobs, are slimming down to cope with the slump in oil, whose price has plummeted to its lowest level in 12 years and is not expected to recover significantly for months, possibly years. California-based Chevron said last fall that it would eliminate 7,000 jobs, while rival Shell announced 6,500 layoffs.